I have a confession to make: I enjoyed the theatrical version of
"Highlander: Endgame." Yes, the fourth "Highlander" feature film is a
bit messy and there are places where its budgetary and time limitations
are all too apparent, but it has a surprising amount of heart to go
with a number of extremely varied, vigorous action sequences.

Now "Highlander: Endgame" has turned up in DVD form, with two entire
different cuts of the film in the box – and neither one is the
theatrical edition. Disc One has a cut of the film that is similar to
the one that played in theatres last year, but the DVD is about 14
minutes longer, with a lot of restored scenes (including an epilogue
that changes the original tone). The reason for this becomes evident in
listening to both the feature-length audio commentary track (from
producers Peter S. Davis and William N. Panzer, editor Robert A.
Ferretti and Miramax production executive H. Daniel Gross) and the
remarks on the agreeably chatty and detailed visual effects featurette.
All parties commenting express repeatedly that they were working under
such a tight deadline to meet the theatrical release date that both
editing and effects were rushed. The DVD release has allowed them to
alter, add and/or remove certain elements in order to create a final
product that they find more satisfying.

In fact, the DVD’s Disc One is arguably in most respects a slightly
better film than the theatrical release, although it would still have
been nice to have the original available. While it is not absolutely
necessary, it probably helps in viewing "Highlander: Endgame" to be
familiar with the TV series version rather than the feature franchise.
"Endgame" marries big and small-screen scenarios, with feature hero
Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) and TV protagonist Duncan MacLeod
(Adrian Paul) together prominent in the storyline. The MacLeods are
kinsmen, though not actual blood brothers, and both are Immortal. In
the "Highlander" universe, Immortals stop aging if they are violently
killed – thereafter, they can only permanently die by decapitation. We
see in flashbacks that Connor has been Duncan’s mentor since the former
found the latter sitting up in shock after having been "killed" in
battle in 1625. Early on, Connor teaches Duncan about swordplay and the
rules governing Immortals’ existences, but in the present, Connor in a
suicidal funk. Duncan, trying to help his old friend, finds himself
enmeshed in a 400-year-old grudge carried by Jacob Kell (Bruce Payne),
another Immortal who blames Connor for the death of his foster father.
Duncan, meanwhile, has some very old issues of his own coming back to
haunt him, due to a monumental error in judgment centuries ago.

The screenplay by Joel Soisson, from a story by Eric Bernt and Gillian
Horvath and producer Panzer, moves us forward and back to various
points in Duncan’s and Connor’s long lives. The filmmakers here do
something that’s more unusual than it sounds, at once brave and perhaps
foolish – they expect the audience to pay extremely close attention to
detail. There’s a hell of a lot going on in "Endgame," and the nuances
will seem a lot more cool to those who immediately get the invention
behind them than to viewers still grappling with the big picture.
Still, anybody who actually listens to the dialogue will be able to
track the plot. The film has some really awkward, inept moments, but it
also has flashes of genuine inspiration.

"Endgame" also boasts some engaging performances. Lambert is at his
best when playing teacher/older brother to Paul’s playful protégé. For
his part, Paul demonstrates charm, responsiveness to his fellow
performers and athletic virtuosity. The pair achieve a warm rapport
together that becomes genuinely affecting. Payne is over-the-top but
the interpretation works better on a second viewing; after all, his
character is in a state of perpetual seething fury. Jim Byrnes and
Peter Wingfield, both reprising characters they played in the series,
make vivid impressions and provide some worthwhile grace notes with
relatively little screen time.

The plentiful fights are admirable, particularly the sword duels
choreographed by F. Braun McAsh. A fight in Chapter 4 between Paul’s
Duncan and Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen that starts out with blades
and winds up hand-to-hand is amazing to watch, especially as it’s
pointed out to us that we’re watching the actors, not stunt doubles,
and that the moves are done in real time rather than in fast-motion. A
rooftop confrontation in Chapter 10 hits some surprisingly visceral as
well as visual notes. Director Douglas Aarniokoski does a good job of
contrasting contemporary urban darkness with the brightness of happier,
less claustrophobic days of the past. Again, the audio track and
effects featurette point out that the DVD process provided an
opportunity to literally shed a little more light on the proceedings
than in the theatrical version; here visibility is sharp even in night
and mist-shrouded sections.

The "Highlander: Endgame" score (credited on the film only to Stephen
Graziano, though the CD lists Nick Glennie-Smith as co-composer in
another of the film’s idiosyncrasies) allows for some potent use of the
subwoofer upfront, as there’s an ominous bass rumble that starts
effectively under the opening credits. The music whooshes through the
mains and echoes in the rears for an unusual, eerie audio effect. Later
in Chapter 1, the subwoofer is relatively contained in a big explosion,
but the directional sound is good, with glass and debris breaking apart
in the mains and crashing earthward in the rears. Chapter 3 likewise
has some great directional work, with shotgun blasts cracking ahead of
us, followed at precisely the right interval by the bullets’ impact
behind us. Revving motorcycles move through all the speakers, placing
the viewer in the center of the action. Chapter 7 has some lovely
ambient effects, like birdcalls and splashes at a lake in the rears,
while dialogue plays in the center. Chapter 8 has a gorgeous, sexy
Celtic composition, "Song of the Pooka," enveloping the listener during
a love scene that provides equal-time male/female skin. Chapter 11
again enlivens the rears emphatically for a big Quickening (the
lightning-like effect when an Immortal dies).

Sound on the Disc 2 early cut of the film outputs through the center,
mains and rears without noticeable differentiation; quality varies from
scene to scene. The aspect ratio jumps around from shot to shot,
sometimes widescreen, sometimes full-screen and sometimes with a black
band across the top but not the bottom. Little numbers (presumably the
Avid editing codes) run across the bottom at all times. While it is
educational for those with an interest in how editing can shape a film
and/or for those who simply want to see every last frame of film shot
for this project, the earlier cut otherwise mainly demonstrates that
virtually all changes made for the final cut were for the better. The
making-of featurette, which is nearly an hour long, is notable both for
some insights from swordmaster McAsh and some really funny outtakes,
mainly thanks to the awesome goofiness of Payne. The Disc One
commentary track and other supplemental material have two-channel
sound, which is usually good (except for on the deleted scenes, where
it is catastrophically bad in at least one spot).

"Highlander: Endgame" has had its virtual hands slapped elsewhere for
trailers that implies a superhero/supervillain slant to the film that
simply isn’t there. This gripe can be extended to the box art, which
trumpets "the ultimate battle against the forces of darkness."
"Highlander: Endgame" is no such thing – if anything, it’s a character
study with frequent bouts of ass-whupping and bloody combat. For those
who liked "Highlander: The Series," "Endgame" can be considered a
worthy extension of the show with a bigger budget. For others, it will
be an uneven ride, with great physical action and some truly affecting
moments coexisting with bits of cliché. For anybody, though, the
two-disc "Highlander: Endgame" set is an illustration in how decisions
made in editing, scene order and even film processing can radically
alter the tone of a movie. For those in the mood for this sort of
thing, "Highlander: Endgame" is violent, brooding – and a lot of fun.